A Pastor in The Northwest

I was thinking today about the beginning of what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer" as recorded by Matthew in the famous sermon on the mount.  It begins like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name... To pray like this, then, we acknowledge that we are part of a family and a community of followers and we are God's children.  Not only this, but as His children, we honor and lift up His name and order our lives to bring Him honor. He is sovereign over all things yet loves us like the best of earthly fathers might! We want to be a people devoted to praying to God Our Father; we also want to honor Him by how we live, right? Let us pray to and live for Our Father who is in the heavenly realms, ruling over all, and bring Him honor today!  Photo by Derek Thomson on Unsplash

I read this today and found it helpful in fleshing out more of the family of faith dynamic: “In the family, I learn the complex choreography of love—what it means to give and take and share, to grow from obedience to responsibility, to learn, challenge, rebel, make mistakes, to forgive and be forgiven, to argue and make up, to win without triumph and know when graciously to lose. It’s where we acquire emotional intelligence, that delicate negotiation between the given and the chosen, the things I will and the things resistant to my will.” ​— Jonathan Sacks, English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, and author (1948–2020), from Celebrating Life: Finding Happiness in Unexpected Places. 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of...

I was listening in on a devotional today based on Luke 24, and I heard something I just had to share! It is recorded by Luke that 2 disciples were walking toward a small village called Emmaus on the day Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus then shows up next to them and asks them what they were discussing together. So then a conversation occurs where Jesus (whom they don't recognize) listens and then teaches them all about Scripture being fulfilled. You can read it again if you are interested, but here's what is curious for me...one of them is named Cleopas. Where have we heard that name before? Good question! If you look at John's good news account, chapter 19:25 lists Mary, the wife of Cleopas, as one of the women at the cross that day. So, could the other disciple on the road that day have been Mary? So, a married couple of disciples was visited by Jesus on their way home to Emmaus? This couple was likely processing the traumatic events of the weekend, and Jesus walked w...

As we settle into the Spring season here in the NW, I find myself enjoying the sunrises rolling in each day. Every new day is like a gift and an opportunity to thrive and be Jesus's kingdom people. The brighter mornings remind us of God's creation and the passing of the day before that we now can leave behind. And, maybe most important, each new day allows us to love one another as a testimony to our great Savior Jesus Christ, who first loved us! I'll leave you with a thoughtful prayer from commonprayer.net I read recently: "God of heaven and earth, help us to live in this world faithfully guided by your love, which manifests itself in our love toward one another. Prepare us for that great gettin’ up morning when your new world is fully revealed. Amen." We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:19 Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash

Easter Sunday's message focused on allowing the reality of Jesus' resurrection to be a catalyst or reset for many areas of our lives. Those areas might include our thinking, our heart, our dreams and even our regrets, etc. What feelings or impressions does this idea of resurrection bring about for you? Does it reframe what is possible for you? Can resurrection start a whole new way to live and be human for you now? Every baptism done by immersion in water retells this resurrection story - buried in Christ (under water) and then raised up to new life (coming up out of the water)! Could it be that your NEW life starts right now? 16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the m...

After almost 2 weeks seeing a lot of Spain this past month, I can definitely say that when in western Spain in the spring, Rioja gets some rain (not sure if it's just in the plain...)! My wife and parents really enjoyed our holiday there, learning a great deal about the country, the language, and the culture from the history and beauty of the city of Barcelona to the picturesque island of Mallorca, and finally to the wine region of Rioja. Wow. Here are some takeaways: Food - people in Spain eat way differently than us. From tapas to ox tail to Iberico ham, we really enjoyed their Mediterranean cuisine! History - from the origins dating back to ancient Rome, the country is awash in ancient ruins dating back thousands of years. Often, newer buildings are simply grafted onto old ruins - wow. Language - Spain has regions that involve or showcase different dialects of Spanish, Catalan, and even some French and Latin influences. Bon dia in Barcelona and buenos dias in Rioja! Culture ...